Proton is the Malaysian national automobile manufacturer which was established in 1983 under the direction of the former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Proton Holdings Berhad, the holding company, is listed on the Bursa Malaysia. The name Proton was derived from the Malay acronym for PeRusahaan OTOmobil Nasional, or ‘National Automobile Enterprise’.
Based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi Motors, production of the first model, the Proton Saga began in September 1985 at its first manufacturing plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. Initially the components of the car were entirely manufactured by Mitsubishi but slowly local parts were being used as technologies were transferred and skills were gained. The 100,000th Proton Saga was produced in January 1989.
